And in May the federal budget included a $7 co-payment to visit a doctor, a rise in petrol prices and an extra 80 cent charge per prescription in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

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Ray Ferguson, Queensland president of the Australian Pensioners and Superannuants League, said the state government's cuts to pensioners' rebates was "cowardly".

"What are pensioners supposed to do, when these increases come into effect at the same time as the state government budget has announced there is likely to be a 15 per cent reduction in the electricity rebate?" he said.

"So what do they do? Do they pay their electricity account, do they put food on their table, or do they go without their medicine?"

He labelled the second budget hit on pensioners and seniors in three weeks an "outrageous" double whammy.

"And the cowardly thing about the way this budget is ... they won't announce the size of those cuts to rebates and concessions until October."

He said that was because state governments were waiting to see how the Senate would tackle the federal government's cuts.

Mr Ferguson said a national pension group, the Fair Go for Pensioners Coalition, was holding a forum in Brisbane in mid June and would organising a protest against the cuts.

"[The forum] will be held at the Queensland Council of Unions building in South Brisbane and from there we are very hopeful of taking it to a rally," Mr Ferguson said.

"We hope then to develop it into a rally at a later date. Their decision gives us until October to organise a rally."

Mr Ferguson said both levels of government had underestimated the anger growing among seniors and pensioners in Queensland.

"Now they ought to take into account that there are 600,000 seniors in Queensland and they are not going to take this lying down," he said.

Mr Ferguson said pensioners understood the cuts to concessions to electricity, pensioner rates, and water subsidy schemes were linked to federal government cutbacks, not a specific state government policy.

However he said Treasurer Tim Nicholls had spent six months touring Queensland listening to Queenslanders who did not suggest cutting seniors' concessions.

"Of course it is fair to blame the state government," he said. "The Treasurer went out on a listening campaign and people said they don't want assets to be sold off. They want an increase in the royalty of mining taxes, they want an increase in gambling taxes."

However In Tuesday's budget speech, Mr Nicholls said 28 per cent of the 55,000 submissions favoured increasing taxes, while 18 per cent "mostly favoured" service reductions.

"Most significantly, 46 per cent of submissions chose to raise the majority of the $25 billion to $30 billion required for debt reduction through the sale or lease of some assets," he said.

Mr Nicholls acknowledged the Queensland government could not cover the entire $50.4 million shortfall in concession money from the federal government.

"As a result of the federal government's cuts we are going to have to pass some of that through," Mr Nicholls said.

"But this government has actually increased its concession payments by 9.9 per cent," he said.

"But the reality is that we couldn't absorb all of it."

Mr Nicholls said pensioners should raise their concerns with their federal MPs.

72 comments so far

So, Nicholls wants us to blame the Federal LNP Government for his budget decisions. He also wants us to take our complaints to them rather than him. Why should we do his dirty work for him? He's just trying to deflect our attention off his own budget failures.

Commenter

LNP budget=No Vision and more failure

Date and time

June 04, 2014, 12:22AM

I tell you who I'll blame. The LNP. And I'll take it out on whoever puts those three letters next to their name on the election ballot. Any election ballot. Put lnp last

Commenter

ab

Date and time

June 04, 2014, 8:24AM

Nichols has worked out how to save not only Qld, but the nation from financial disaster.Take money away from pensioners and they will die sooner due to lack of proper health care & nutrition. Less elderly people sponging off the taxpayer means more money for the government to spend on 'nation building' activities like roads & tunnels.

Commenter

Scotty

Date and time

June 04, 2014, 8:26AM

And anyway, you know the Federal government will just say it's the State's choice. And blame Labor. Always blame Labor.

Commenter

Jimbo from Logan

Date and time

June 04, 2014, 8:41AM

Errrrr..

LNP, Fed & Sate - sam, same.

The manufactured level of debt is but a means for a...

WAR on the POOR

Says much when the silvertails won't hit their affluent mates with a top marginal tax hike!

Mmmm!!!

Commenter

Dalliance

Date and time

June 04, 2014, 8:46AM

Why is there such a rush to drop this debt? even if the $80b and $4b interest pa figures were legitimate, sometimes it makes sense to hold your financial position and tread water as opposed to having a fire sale to correct the ledger.

we aren't going backwards. or at least, our situation isn't so dire that we are at a do or die point.

It would appear that the Newman government wants to just do this quickly and brazenly so that the mad king can stroke his own ego some more claiming he was the one who took us to AAA rating.

To be completely honest, I wasn't aware that we only had AA, and really.... how is this having such a major impact on society if it stays that way for another 10 years?

Just like the legislation we have seen rushed through parliament by the Premier and AG, which is rough and unwise, we are seeing this same approach taken to the economy.

Commenter

1933

Date and time

June 04, 2014, 8:57AM

These would be the same pensioners who engaged in nude protests against the Labor govt. that increased pensions every year, including during a global recession. Bet they'll still vote Coalition at the next election too.

Commenter

was public now private

Date and time

June 04, 2014, 2:27AM

Yes you are right it was the Labor Government who gave the Pensioners a real rise and the Pensioners still voted Liberal , now the Pensioners have learned a very hard lesson that the Liberals take their votes for granted , the Pensioners have the answer in their own hands , just don't vote for Liberal pain and lies

Commenter

John

Location

Wynnum

Date and time

June 04, 2014, 8:13AM

We all have parents and grandparents who did their best to raise us and deserve a fair retirement. I think most people juggling modern financial stresses will find these LNP choices mean. Re: asset sales or debt swaps - why would any private sector company even think about entering business deals with politicians who are so loose with the truth. Unless of course they are lobbyists and are pocketing dollars (buyers beware - when the external vendor know more than the sellers, in this case the public). This budget makes me uncomfortable.

Commenter

Jonah

Location

Albion

Date and time

June 04, 2014, 5:53AM

as you mentioned our parents and grandparents did their best to raise us, so it's also our responsibility to take care our own parents so they can have a fair retirement, including helping them paying the medical fees, house, food etc. It should never been a sole responsibility from the government or other tax payers to look after your own parents.